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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of a king
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. track — a path
  7. court — of law
  8. kid — child
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. court — for sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kid — to tease
  17. track — a song
  18. drill — army training
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com